Photo-uthographer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. EIGKEMEYER.

Hat Ironing Machine.

No. 240,312. Patented April 19,188I.

' MPETERS PQIOTO-LIYMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

(No Model.) 7 2 She'ets-Sheet 2.

R. EIOKEMEYER. Hat Ironing Machine.

Patented April 19,1881.

Witnase '5.

N. PETERS; PHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

RUDOLF EIOKEMEYER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

HAT-IRONING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,312, dated April19, 1881. I

Application filed January 28, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, RUDoLF EICKEMEYER, of Yonkers, in the county ofWestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hat-Ironing Machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnishedand forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and completedescription of my invention.

In finishing hats, their originally flat brims are curved downward tothe front and rear from a point at each side of the hat, but at thesides of the hat the brim occupies usually a plane practically at rightangles to the vertical axis of the hat.

' to iron the lower side of such curved brims automatically, and with amachine embodying my improvements that operation can be rapidly,effectually, and economically 'performed.

Heretofore machines have been devised for ironing flat-brimmed hats allover, and such will be found described in Letters Patent No. 145,934,issued to me December 30, 1873 but, so far as my knowledge extends, nomechanism has heretofore been devised for automatically ironing theunder side of curved brims, whether that operation be performedpractically cotemporaneously with the ironing of the upper side of thebrim and other portions of the hat, or performed as a wholly separateoperation.

For attaining the end sought I have devised a revolving brim-iron, whichis novel in that it has an annular ironing-surface occupying numerousplanes instead of a single plane, as in prior machines. This revolvingbrim-iron, because of its variable ironing-surface, is adapted toproperly engage in ironing contact, and in consecutive order, with eachportion of the varied surface of the under side of the brim. In otherwords, a brim-iron embodying my invention has one portion of its surfacespecially adapted to iron the downwardlycurved under side of a curvedbrim at the front and rear of the hat. Another portion thereof isadapted to iron the under side of a brim at each side of the hat,whether the same be exactly horizontal or otherwise, and intermediateportions of said ironing-surface are adapted to iron the correspondinglyintermediate portions of the under side of the brim. With such abrim-iron there should be employed suitable hat supporting and revolvingmechanism, and a suitable com pressing device for maintaining the brimin proper ironing contact with the annular brim-iron, and saidcompressing device will preferably be a suitable iron forcotemporaneously ironing the upper side of the brim.

As has already been indicated, the main feature of my improvement may beembodied in a machine specially organized for solely ironing the underside of curved brims; but I have preferred to illustrate the same asembodied in a machine devised by me and adapted to iron hats all over.The several features of my invention are herein fully deseribed,andspecified in detail at the close hereof.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets, Figure 1,Sheet 1, is a view, partially side elevation and partially verticalsection, of a machine embodying the several features of my invention.Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the hat-block and hat-crownremoved. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is an enlarged vertical section of a portionof Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a similar view of a portion of Fig. 3, with theparts in a different rotative position. Fig. 5 is a diametricalsectional view of the brim-iron detached.

As shown in the drawings, the machine has a strong frame, A, whichsupports the movable parts and affords firm bearings for the horizontaldriving-shaft B and the vertical countershaft 0.

The block-spindle D has a block-holder, a, which is oval in outline, isconvex in the line of its longest diameter, and has two vertical pins,to, for occupying correspondingly-located holes in an oval hat-block, b,which is concave on its bottom and has a firm support upon the convexsurface of the block-holder. The spindle D has a vertical tubularbearing, E, which is maintained in a firm vertical position by suitableattachments securing it to the frame. A portion of this tubular hearingwill hereinafter he referred to and further described in anotherconnection.

Power is imparted to the. block-spindle by a I oo,

bevel-gear on the main shaft meshing with a larger gear on the lower endof the vertical shaft, 0, carrying a gear, 0, which meshes with a largergear,- 0, on the block-spindle.

It is to be understood that the irons employed for ironing the upperportion of the brim and for ironing various portions of the crown of thehat need. not necessarily differ from such as have heretofore beenemployed, and in connection with my upper brim-iron, F, I employ, as inprior machines, a universaljoint arrangement, so as to admit of itsfloating motion, corresponding to the variable surface of the brim to beironed when supported by a brim-bed as heretofore, or by the variableironing-surface of the lower iron as now devised by me.

With a flat circular lower brim-iron and a block suited thereto, whethersaid iron be concentric with the hat-block spindle or mounted on aseparate spindle to the one side thereof, the machine as thus fardescribed is similar to that shown and described in my aforesaid LettersPatent No. 145,934.

My novel brim-iron G is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 as applied to themachine. It will be seen that it is a frustum of an irregular cone, andthat its upper or ironing surface on one of its diametrical lines (whenmounted as shown, and in a certain position) corresponds generallywiththe curved surface of the under side of the brim d of the hat shown tobe in position on the block b. At the right hand side in Figs. 1 and 8,the brim rests upon said lower iron, and proper ironing contact ismaintained by the upper iron, F. At the left hand in said figures, theupper surface of the lower iron is slightly below the brim at that endof the hat. In these views the hat is shown in longitudinal centralsection.

In Fig. 4 the hat is shown in lateral vertical central section, at whichpoint on each side of the hat the brim is practically horizontal.

The section of thelower brim-iron, G, (shown in Fig. 4,) is on preciselythe same diametrical line as in Fig. 3, but as if rotated half around,which causes it (by reason of its peculiar axial arrangement) to presentat one side a horizontal ironing-surface suited for ironing the underside of the horizontalportion of the brim, while its opposite side isthrown far below the brim on the opposite side of the hat. However thislower brim-iron may be constructed, mounted, and driven, it should be soarranged as to present for ironing only that portion of its surfacewhich is specially adapted to properly engage in ironing contact with acorresponding portion of the under surface of the hat-brim, and also sothat such portions of its surface as for the time being are not engagedin ironing shall not be in undue contact with any portion of thehat-brim which is notinterposed between the upper and lower irons.

With these conditions stated, lower brim-irons may be obviouslyconstructed in various ways and forms, and suited to varying conditionsand styles of curved brims, and I have therefore deemed it necessary toparticularly illustrate but one form thereof, with certain dotted lines,as in Fig. 5, which, in connection with the fact that my drawings are inscale, will enable persons skilled in the art to readily lay out an ironprecisely as indicated, or, with the knowledge thus obtained by them, todepart therefrom in various ways, as circumstances may warrant in eachcase. V

Taking the sectional View, Fig. 5, it will be understood that thecentral recess is circular, and that the operative surface of the ironon each side of the diametrical line indicated has acontourresultingfrom the merging with each other of the surface-lines speciallyindicated at c and e at the ends of the figure, the surface 6 being thefront and rear brim-ironin g surface, and the surface 0 the sidebrim-ironin g surface.

As shown in my prior patent, the under brimiron is mounted upon aspindle to the one side of and parallel with the hat-block spindle; butprovision is also inadein said patent for mounting it concentricallywith said spindle, and I have chosen to illustrate my present inventionas embodied in a machine involving not only thisconcentric arrangement,broadly considered, but also (because of this particular underbrim-iron) a special eccentric arrangement of the supporting bearing ofsaid iron with relation to the block-spindle. This last-namedarrangement I deem of value, even if the lower' brim-iron be a frustumof a true cone for ironing fiat brims only, as hereinafter referred to.

In a machine having the concentric arrangement of lower brim-iron, thenap of the brim on the under side is laid in continuously oval lines;but in a machine as shown in my prior patent the nap is laid in linesnearly radial from the axis of the hat, and if this latter feature bespecially desired a lower brim-iron having an ironing-surface occupyingnumerous planes in accordance with mypresentinvention may be applied tothe machine shown in my prior patent; but it is obvious that said ironing-surface should then be modified, as will be obvious, with reference tothe surface 6, which, instead of inclining downward and outwardly, wouldbe inclined upwardly from its inner annular edge when that portion ofthe surface was located beneath the upper iron.

The particular lower brim-iron shown in the drawings is mounted upon aflanged sleeve, H, and is secured thereto by bolts f, but insulatedtherefrom by an annular space near the top of said sleeve, and by aplate, 9, composed of wood or other good non-conductor of heat, sointerposed as to prevent undue direct or contact transmission of heatfrom the lower iron to said sleeve and its bearings. This brim-iron isexposed to gas-jets, or provided with other suitable heating apparatus,as heretofore. The sleeve H is the journal-box for the lower iron, andit is fitted to the outside of the tubular bearing E, which is turnedofi to afford an inclined bearing for the sleeve-journal H. The axis ofthis inclined bearing crosses the axis of the block-spindle, as at h, ata point substantially equidistant from the upper and lower ends of saidbearing.

To the lower end of the sleeve H a rim-gear, i, is secured, which isengaged and driven by a larger gear, 1', on the counter-shaft C.

The upper brim-iron, F, being stationary with relation to the rotarymovement of the hat, it is desirable that the lower iron shouldco-operate with the hat-block spindle in such a way that the hat-brimwill be properly fed to the upper iron, and prevent the latter fromwrinkling or straining the hat-brim, and therefore I, as in my priormachine, revolve the lower iron and the hat-block in the same directionand in order that the lower iron may properly operate on the lowersurface of the brim, said iron is revolved at a greater speed than theblock; and in order that said lower iron shall always present thatparticular portion of its surface which corresponds with the lowersurface of that portion of the hat-brim which is from time to timeinterposed between the lower and upper irons, the lower iron is rotatedexactly twice as fast as the hat'block, the pairs of gears c c and 'i ibeing properly proportioned in accordance with that requirement.

As before herein indicated, the upper iron, when considered withreference to the lower iron, operates as acompressing device; and if mylower iron be used in a machine adapted to iron only the under sides ofbrims, a pressure-plate above the brim, or other suitable compressingdevice, may be relied upon for maintaining proper contact of the brimwith the lower iron.

The machine, constructed as shown and provided with the usualcrown-irons, may obviously be used, as heretofore, for ironing thecrowns of hats, without reference to their brims; but in the matter ofbrims it is limited to the ironing on one or both sides of brims whichare curved, and incapable of ironing flat brims. I enlarge its capacityin that respect and enable it to work on flat as well as curved brims invarious ways-as, for instance, I provide a fiat annular lower iron forconnection with the sleeve H, and dispense with that portion of thetubular bearing E which is embraced by said sleeve. I then substitute anupper and a lower bearin g, or one long bearing within and connectedwith the sleeve and encircling the block-spindle, and provide for saidbearing or bearings means for adjusting it or them axially with relationto the sleeve, so that the latter may interchangeably be made to revolveas on an inclined axis, as now, or as on a vertical axis coincident withthe axis of the block-spindle when carrying a flat lower iron forworking on flat brims; or, on the other hand, instead of thus renderingthe sleevebearings adjustable, said bearing may be retained, as shown,and a lower brim-iron in the form of a frustum of a true cone employed,(instead of an irregular cone, as shown,) for enabling the machine tointerchangeably operate in ironing flat brims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A lower brim-iron havingan ironing-surface which occupies various planes, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, substantiall y as hereinbefore described, of arevolving lower brimiron having an ironing-surface which occupiesvarious planes, mechanism for supporting and revolving a hat, and acompressing device for maintaining the brim of a hat in ironing contactwith the ironing-surface of the lower brimiron, as set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as herein before described, of hatsupporting and revolving mechanism, a more rapidly revolved lowerbrim-iron adapted to engage in ironing contact with the variable undersurface of a curved brim, and an upper brim-iron for ironing the uppersurface of a brim and maintaining the lower surface thereof in contactwith the variable ironing-surface of the lower iron, as set forth. l

4. The combination of the hat-block spindle and mechanism for revolvingthe same, the upper brim-iron, the lower brim-iron having a variedironing-surface, and mechanism for revolving said lower iron twice asrapidly as the hat-block spindle is revolved, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with a revolving hatblock spindle and anupperbrim-iron, ofa lower brim-iron revolving around said spindle andmounted in bearings inclined to the axis of the block-spindle,substantially as described.

6. The combination of the flanged sleeve,

the brim-iron mounted thereon, and the wooden disk interposed betweenthe bearingsurface of the flanged sleeve and the brim-iron,substantially as described.

RUDOLF EIOKEMEYER. Witnesses:

BUD. EICKEMEYER, J r., TH. OSTERHELD.

